August 5, 2010 - The latest Measuring progress sustainable development indicators 2010, published by defra, brings together an extensive range of economic, social and environmental indicators to provide a statistical overview of the country’s progress towards living more sustainably in future. more >

June 7, 2010 - It has been announced that Gregg Clark, Minister for Decentralisation, is about to outline plans to 'end cluttering of leafy residential areas by abolishing 'minimum density targets' for house building'. He also indicated that 'planning law is to change so that gardens are no longer classified as brownfield sites', reported The Sunday Telegraph on 6th June 2010. more >

September 3, 2009 - New housing can revitalise town centres in South London, according to a new study by the London Development Agency. Rather than damaging their character, the study shows that new, well-designed housing can actually make these areas even more distinctive. 'SEVEN: Housing Intensification in seven south London town centres' was developed in cooperation with planners in south London boroughs. more >

Urban land is an increasingly precious commodity, particularly in the centre of major cities. Every spare corner of land is in demand, however small, inaccessible or awkwardly shaped. For architects the challenge is to optimize these sites while simultaneously negotiating the web of planning regulations, to create homes suited to today’s lifestyles.

June 5, 2009 - The latest national statistics on land use change were released under the auspices of the UK Statistics Authority on 28 May 2009, and are available online. The figures indicate that more brownfield land is being used for new housing. The data provides initial estimates for 2008 of changes on previously-developed land and the average density of new dwellings. ... more >

Neighbourhoods exhibiting sustainable characteristics will increase, rather than decrease, in value over time.

This report was commissioned by The Prince’s Foundation to add to the understanding of the financial implications of pursuing development using sustainable principles, and to review the added-value that such development can bring.

The Prince’s Foundation is an educational charity which exists to improve the quality of people’s lives by teaching and practising timeless and ecological ways of planning, designing and building.

Can a developer-led approach to regeneration on a grand scale, such as that proposed for King’s
Cross, London, really deliver wide-ranging neighbourhood renewal?

The Academy of Urbanism, a PLACEmakingsupporter, is creating a body of evidence-based enquiry that can ‘inform
our goal to identify and deliver best practice in urbanism’. Its programme of ‘learning from place’ is a key component
of this drive, and regular study visits and seminars are key to success. The latest session on this theme, held in March 2009, took in visits to the Brunswick Centre, London WC1, and to Kings Place, N1, followed by analysis of a new London quarter that is taking shape: King’s Cross Central.
The aim was to explore how such ambitious developer-led regeneration can proceed and bring about neighbourhood
renewal in today’s challenging times.

New analysis revealing the scale and diversity of socio-economic activity taking place in and around suburban high streets belies the widespread perception of suburbia as synonymous with social and architectural homogeneity, says Laura Vaughan

Avoiding a self-fulfilling prophecy that focuses on residential or retail-based development solutions is not simply a challenge for recently planned settlements. The critical problem is the extent to which existing suburbs can adapt for future growth. There is an urgent need for designers, planners and policy makers to recognise how suburbia contains a great variety of distinctive places for living and working.